Field Hall Foundation Awards $30K to seniors in Putnam and Westchester
The Field Hall Foundation awarded $30,000 to United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP). The funds will be used to provide Lyft rides to seniors living in Westchester or Putnam as part of the Ride United Program.
In 2021, United Way launched Ride United Transportation Access, which provides free Lyft rides to help people in need access essential medical services, complete education programs, get to new jobs. The program is closing transportation gaps caused by poverty, systemic racism, and other inequities is critical for securing employment, accessing medical care, obtaining healthy food, and dealing with emergencies and crises.
“We are so grateful to the Field Hall Foundation, not only for this grant they’ve awarded to us, but for all they do to benefit seniors in the community. Seniors in our area—similarly to the rest of the country—are one of the most neglected populations,” Tom Gabriel, president and CEO of UWWP, said. “While our counties are very wealthy, the cost of living has gone up and many seniors are barely scraping by on just their retirement alone. Their families aren’t always close by and it’s up to the community to come together to assist our seniors when we can. With the Ride United Program, we can ensure that transportation access is available to them to have access to doctors, drug stores, grocery stores etc.”
Field Hall Foundation is a private foundation whose primary mission is to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers.
They support programs and projects that directly impact low-income and vulnerable older adults and their caregivers in Putnam and Westchester and Duchess Counties. Priority is given to those that address their most basic needs. This grant was among several others—totaling $255,800—announced earlier this fall.
“We believe in United Way’s mission to Live United and want to support the work they do for our seniors whenever we can,” Program Officer Patti Lavan Horvath said. “Whether it’s an issue of mobility, eyesight, or finances, many seniors lose access to transportation. Not only is this dangerous, because it restricts access to things like food and important medication, but it promotes isolation among a group of people that were especially isolated during the pandemic. United Way’s Ride United program provides a necessary and often overlooked service that assists in getting the basics but can also relieve some of the loneliness they experience.”
To learn more visit www.fieldhallfoundation.org.
